Today is my second consecutive day of stay-at-home parenting with Nugget. He’s been amazing. I have no idea what I’ve been doing for the last 36 hours. It feels like I’ve mostly been soothing him and then rushing to throw laundry in the dryer before he flips out.

Currently, we’re listening to the World of Warcraft soundtrack as he lays on his play mat and babbles at toys he clearly doesn’t quite know are there yet. He seems to like the music, though.

Do you know how disorienting it is to stumble upon meaningful pop? In an era of repetitive mass appeal, it’s like sudden vertigo. Every time it becomes instinctual to cast away popular new music as merely super-catchy, fleeting entertainment, an artist emerges that reveals my knee jerk assumption as baseless and premature. Here lies mellow beats and poignant lyrics inspiring nostalgia even with their first listen. This might be Alec Benjamin’s greatest talent: his ability to convey such relate-ability effortlessly. Each song is a story of his life, narrated for you, that could very well be about you. Continue reading Alec Benjamin and the Mixtape of Many Tragedies→

As I write this at midday on Monday, my son is asleep. I had just changed his diaper and his clothes–since he peed all over himself and them–and I set him down in his bassinet for minute so I could brush my teeth.

He had gotten quiet for more than a few moments, so I checked on him and found him asleep. I decided to use the opportunity to take a shower, and it felt like a victory.

As if that wasn’t enough, I’ve received some amazing feedback from a family friend, so I wanted to share it:

“I finished your book last night. Very impressive! I can see why you say it was in your mind for years. I came away from it glad that honor, love, and the true meaning of home are achieved…

“I think it possible you already have a sequel centered around Arden. She feels the call. The sad part of the novel is a life lesson about keepers. Even the mighty trees have a spirit that needs a keeper. I had not really thought about that. Humans, animals, yes, there is always one striving for more territory and power.

“We humans say we want peace. Your first novel is not so reassuring we can truly find it outside our own limited personal space.

I am proud of you for achieving this goal. And I am proud of you for building a true home with [Wife] and [Nugget].”

That’s just incredible and basically made my day. This family friend is a very intelligent and insightful woman, so I’m thrilled she was able to pull so much from my book. Thank you!